Wheat separator and washer



Patented Dec. l3, I898.

A. JOHNSON.

WHEAT SEPARATOB AND WASHER.

(Abplication filed m 17, 1397.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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A. JOHNSON.

WHEAT SEPARATOR AND WASHER.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

um Model.)

W N l VIII/AIIIWIAENIIIIIIIHZ IQ N i ii$nesses NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED JOHNSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

WHEAT SEPARATOR AND WASHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,713, dated December 13, 1898.

Application filed May 1'7, 1897. Serial No. 636,832. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVheat- Separators and Washers; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a new apparatus or machine for washing wheat and other cereals and for separating therefrom the chaff, cockle, and other foreign matter. My apparatus or machine,when connected up in tandem arrangement or in a series involving two or more duplicate or substantially duplicate separating devices,is also adapted to separate the different grades of wheat or other grain.

To the ends above noted my invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like numerals indicate like parts throughout both the v views.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through the preferred form of my improved apparatus or separator; and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken through one of the grain-discharge devices, which are located one in the bottom of each of the separating-hoppers, some parts being shown in full and others broken away.

1 indicates a hopper-like frame, in the upper portion of which the primary hopper 2 is secured. This primary hopper 2 is provided at one side with a discharge or overflow spout 3. The grain or stock is delivered into the primary hopper 2 at its side opposite to the overflow-spout 3 through a feed device which, as shown, involves a delivery-spout 4, leading from the source of supply, a hopper 5, receiving from said spout 4E, and a corrugated feedroller 6, which cooperates with the open lower end of the hopper 5 to give a graduated feed. A continuous flow of water is delivered to this same side of the hopper 2, back of the feedroller 6, through a supply-pipe 7.

The bottom of the primary hopper 2 opens into a transversely and horizontally disposed cylinder 8, which is provided with a depending neck portion 9. The cylinder 8 is provided on its inner surface with transverse corruga tions 10, and on account of the function which it performs, as will be hereinafter noted, I term this cylinder 8 the scrubbing-box. Mounted within the said scrubbing box or cylinder 8, axially thereof, is a corrugated scrubbing-roller 11, which in diameter is considerably less than the diameter of the corrugated cylindrical surface 10.

The lower end of the depending neck portion 9 is, as shown, slightly expanded and is secured to one wall of the hopper-like support 1, and both the lower extremity of said neck 9 and the wall of said support 1 are cut away transversely of the machine toform an elongated discharge-passage 12. A long hollow corrugated discharge-roller 13 is mounted directly in the discharge-mouth 12, with its hollow trunnions l4, journaled in suitable bearings 15, secured on the side timbers of the support 1. As shown, one of the trunnions 14 has rigidly secured thereto a pulley 16, by means of which a continuous roller motion may be imparted to said roller 13. The said roller 13 is provided with long narrow slits 17, which are cut through the same at the bottoms of its corrugations. The neck portion 9 is provided with a horizontal ledge or flange 18, which projects and closely engages the corrugatedsurface of the roller 13, and said neck 9 is also provided with a substantially vertical scraper-plate 19, which depends and engages the corrugations of said rollers 13 at a considerable distance from the point of engagement of said ledge 18. Immediately below the ledge 18 the corrugated surface of the roller 13 is constantly engaged by the free edge of a cut-off plate 20. This cut-off plate 20 is constructed of some flexible or spring material, such as light spring-steel or stiff rubber, and it serves to constantly form a substantially water-tight joint between the extreme lower end of the neck portion 9 and the corrugated surface of said roller. In the construction shown an air-supply spout 21, which is formed on one inclined wall of the support 1, terminates at its lower open end, in close proximity to the discharge-roller 13, at a point to the rear of the scraper-plate 19.

22 indicates a loose rubber roller which serves to form a substantially water-tight joint bctweenthe corrugated surface of the roller 13 and that portion of the neck 9 which is just to the rear of the scraper-plate 19, and likewise 23 is aloose but smaller rubber roller which forms a tight joint between the inner flange of the spout 21 and the corrugated surface of said roller.

24 indicates a spring-pressed scraper-plate which is secured to the outer flange of the spout 21 and works against the corrugated surface of the roller 13.

25 indicates an air-suction trough supported within the cavity or bore of the roller 13, with its edges working or tightly pressed against that surface thereof which stands to the rear of the scraper-plate 19 and forward of the flexible plate 24. If desired, the engaging edges of this trough 25 may be provided with rubber packing-strips 26. Said trough 25 is thus supported in working position and fixed against rotary movement with the hollow roller 13 by means of hollow trunnions 27, which project outward through the hollow trunnions 14 of said roller 13 and are mounted in supporting-brackets 2S, rigidly secured to end timbers of the support 1. As shown said trunnions 27 are provided with square collars 29, which are directly secured in the enlarged seats formed in said brackets 28 by means of pairs of set-screws 30. By means of the set-screws 30 the trough 25 vmay be adjusted to and from working position. At one end of the roller 1.3 the trunnion 27 of the trough 25 is tightly closed by means of a plug 31. The other trunnion 27 of said trough 25 is provided with an extension 32, which extends to some suitable airsuction device, such as a fan. (Not shown.)

The discharge-trough 3 of the primary hopper 2 discharges into a secondary hopper 33,

which in turn is provided with an overflowpassage 34, which discharges into a wastetrough 35. This waste-trough extends to any suitable point of exhaust.

The secondary hopper 33 is provided in its bottom with a discharge device which is substantially identical with that just described as being located at the bottom of the neck 9 of the primary hopper 2. Hence the only necessary description of the parts of this discharge device is thought to be this brief comparison or identification of the like parts. The discharge-roller 36 37 corresponds to the discharge-roller 13 17, the ledge 38 to the ledge 18, the scraper-plate 39 to the scraperplate 19, the flexible plate 40 to the flexible plate 20, the loose rubber rollers 41 and 42 to the loose rubber rollers 22 and 23, the springpressed plate 43 to the spring-pressed plate 24, the air-supply spout 44 to the air-supply spout 21, and the air-suction trough 45 46 to the air-suction trough 25 27.

The operation of my improved machine or apparatus above described is substantially as follows: ater is fed into the primary hopper through the pipe 7 and overflows into the secondary hopper 33 and from thence into the waste-trough 35, as already indicated. The uncleaned wheat or grain, together with all of the impurities mixed therewith, are fed by a graduated feed, as already indicated. The heavier and better grades of the wheat will be precipitated through the water contained in the primary hopper 2 and will be fed through the scrubbing-box 8, between the corrugated surfaces of the same and the corrugated surface of the scrubbing-roller 11. In thus passing through the scrubbing-box the wheat or grain will be rubbed and worked together and rolled over and over between the corrugated surfaces, and by this means all smut or fuzzy material will be loosened from the grain and will rise to the top of the water in the primary hopper and from thence will be carried by the surface current into the secondary hopper. All of the lighter particles or foreign matter which is mixed with the wheat or grainsuch, for example, as chaff and cockle will be carried directly by the surface current in the primary hopper and discharged first into the secondary hopper 33, and thence directly into the waste-trough 'The wheat or grain which has passed through the scrubbing-box S will be precipitated to the bottom of the neck extension 9 and will fall into and fill the exposed corrugations of the discharge-roller 13. As the corrugated discharge-roller 13 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow marked thereon the filled corrugations thereof will carry the grain contained therein rearward beyond the scraper-plate 19 and directly over the suction-trough 25. In passing over the suction -trough 25 the strong air-suction which in the operation of the machine is constantly applied to the said trough, as already indicated, will serve to draw or suck all of the water or practically all the water which is carried with the grain through the radial slits 17 into the interior of said roller. The water which is thus drawn into the interior of the roller will be caught by the suction-trough 25 and drawn off from the same through the trunnion 27 and section 32 thereof. In this way the grain which is discharged by the feed-roller 13 will be practically dried. The supply of air to the suction-trough 25 is delivered through the air-spout 21. The springpressed plates 20 and 24, together with the rubber rollers 22 and 23, serve to prevent the escape of any considerable amount of water. By regulating the current or flow of water through the pipe 7 the lighter particles of the grain or stock which are fed into the primary hopper may be carried with greater or less rapidity into the secondary hopper. Hence by the proper regulation of the current the different grades of wheat or grain may be separated. For example, if this current is properly regulated the lighter or second grades of wheat or grain will be carried and discharged into the secondary hopper by the overflowing current. However, by the time the lighter or secondgrade wheat reaches the secondary hopper it will become more heavily soaked with Water, and, moreover, the dashing action which it will receive in its discharge from the primary to the secondary hopper will more thoroughly moisten the same, and hence the so-called second-grade wheat or grain will be precipitated and collected in the bottom of the secondary hopper. This second-grade grain will be drawn off from the secondary hopper in the same manner that the higher grade was drawn off from the primary hopper.

It is thought to be obvious that I have provided an extremely-efficient machine or apparatus for the purposes had in view. It will also be understood that various alterations in the specific details of construction above described may be made without departing from the broad principles involved in my invention.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In an apparatus of'the class described,the combination with a water-containing pocket, of a discharge device for drawing off the grain or material through the bottom of the same, involving a grain-discharge passage opening from below the water-level, a forced graindischarger working in said passage,and means for applying a forced circulation of air to the grain as it is being discharged, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described,the combination with a Water-containing pocket, of a discharge device for drawing off the grain through the bottom of the same, involving a grain-discharge passage opening from below the water-level, a forced-feed roller working in said discharge-passage and means for applying a forced circulation of air to the grain which is discharged by said roller, substantially as described. I

3. In an apparatus of the class described,the combination with a hopper, or receptacle for the grain and water, of a discharge device for the same, involving a discharge-roller, effecting a forced feed of thegrain, and an air-forcing device arranged to effect a separation of the grain and Water while being discharged by said roller, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus of the class described,the combination with a hopper, of a discharge device at the' bottom of said hopper, involving a corrugated or recessed feed-roller, and a suction device for separating the water from the grain while said grain is being discharged by said roller, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the class described ,the combination with a hopper or overflow vessel, of a discharge device at the bottom of said hopper, involving a hollow corrugated feedroller having peripheral openings, and a suction device operating to draw water from said grain through said peripheral openings into the interior of said feed-roller, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the class described,the combination with a hopper or overflow vessel, of a discharge deviceat the bottom of said hopper involving a corrugated hollow feedroller provided with hollow trunnions and peripheral openings, flexible packings, forming substantially water-tight joints between the corrugated surface of said roller and said overflow vessel, a suction-trough Within said hollow roller, and extensions therefrom to a draft device, substantially as described.

'7. The combination with a hopper or overflow vessel, of a grain-discharging device in the lower extremity of the same, involving the hollow corrugated roller 13 with hollow trunnions let and radial slits or perforations 17, the suction-trough 25 within said roller 13, fixed against rotary movement and provided with trunnions 14, at least one of which is hollow and is subject to suction, and fleXi- ALFRED JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN O. ELMORE, FRANK D. MERCHANT. 

